BMW showed a concept car made almost entirely from recyclable materials at the Munich auto show last week.
The i Vision Circular concept previews “a sustainable car of the future,” CEO Oliver Zipse said. But the future, in this case, is still a long way off — around 2040, BMW said.
The concept’s design is optimized to use materials that have already completed a product life cycle alongside organic raw materials. Its solid-state battery is fully recyclable.
BMW design chief Adrian van Hooydonk said the concept shows the automaker’s ideas for combining sustainability with a new “circular design” approach that has a minimal footprint.
The concept has been designed to reduce complexity in the number of components, material groups and surface finishes. It has no kidney frame grille and dispenses completely with exterior paintwork, leather and chrome, for instance, van Hooydonk said.
It’s about the size of the automaker’s i3 full-electric hatchback and has a design that combines elements of an SUV and a minivan.